A Beginning

Starting a blog to me seemed like a daunting task. I suppose because I was not sure what I found important enough to share with the rest of the world, or at least some small segment of society who would find it worthwhile to read. Searching myself, likes and dislikes, not wanting to get into a whole lot of confrontation or conflict, makes selecting a subject difficult. Most subjects are debatable and that is fine. If you want a debate, you can find all manner of subjects like that. However, that really is not my goal. My goal was to learn about something that could be helpful, enlightening, and hopefully uplifting. Those who know me best probably would not be surprised at the blog topic I decided to embark on: non-profits, charities, people wanting to make difference.

We all have our favorite charities or at least the ones we think are doing a good job and are worth sending a few dollars to every once in a while. The big ones, The Red Cross, St. Jude, American Cancer Society, etc., do not need anyone to advertise for them in a blog. However, what about those smaller non-profits who are making a difference in their community, or are promoting a cause that you might not know about? Letting people know about those non-profits seems like a worthwhile endeavor. I also could just be rambling on for the sake of hearing myself talk via a different medium.

What makes a charity worth noting, or blogging about? I am not sure. I suppose I research organizations that resonate with me, and hopefully you. But should there be some criteria to deem it “worthwhile?” I asked myself that question and came up with no clear answer.

I was going to base my criteria of “worthwhile” on Charity Navigator, who has come up with a system for rating charities based on financials and accountability/transparency. Charities then get a star rating based on their calculations of those two features. For more specifics please see http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1287&print=1. I may still choose some non-profits based on a four-star rating, but I also know that there are charities out there that Charity Navigator probably never heard of or aren’t big enough to warrant their attention. So while I will highlight some of those listed on that website, I will also mention ones that touch my heart.

Having chosen to highlight certain organizations does not diminish the work that any other non-profit is trying to do. I truly believe that most people who start a non-profit see a need and want to try and help. It is not an easy task by any means.

I hope that I learn something along the way and that I can share it with you.